Those steps could in appropriate cases, include "a refusal to drive on".

Mr Paulley, from Wetherby, West Yorkshire, was cheered by other wheelchair users and disabled people outside the court in London after the ruling.

He said: "I am absolutely delighted. It has been a long fight. We have achieved something really substantial here which will make a difference to people who need the wheelchair space - not just wheelchair users but other disabled people.

"This is important - a significant cultural change."

A woman pushes her buggy onto a London busCredit:
Ian Jones

Mr Paulley's marathon legal battle was triggered on the morning of February 24 2012 when he attempted to board the 9.40 bus from Wetherby to Leeds operated by FirstGroup which had a sign saying: "Please give up this space if needed for a wheelchair user."

He was on his way to catch a train to meet his parents for lunch in Stalybridge.